Broken
by Hopefully Riveting
Summary: After the final battle at Hogwarts, Hermione finds herself with a broken Time Turner, and in 1945. She is forced to face a teenage Dark Lord in a quest to make a better future and destroy Lord Voldemort. She is suddenly faced with an issue she had not accounted for: the undeniable attraction that is linking her with the sadistic, and beautiful Tom Riddle. I don't own Harry Potter.
1. Prologue

**A/N: So after a long hiatus, I have finally come back to the world of fanfiction! I already have about four chapters of this story done, but the updates will be generally one every four days. Please review and let me know what you think! **

Prologue

Hermione's breath was caught in her throat as her eyes fell on the body slumped on a pitiful heap on the ground. Her eyes ran over every detail of her best friend from his disheveled black hair to his now crooked glasses, that seemed like they were going to slip off his nose at any moment. She looked at his calloused hands that hung open and empty without the Holly wand he had clung to for all these years. She searched for any sign of life in him. There were none.

This was not supposed to happen. It was not supposed to go this way. He was Harry, her best friend, her confidante, the Boy-Who-Lived. Lived. And yet, that's not what happened. She felt the weights of everyone beside her shift at the sight of their hero, their leader on the ground. A sudden wail broke the silence and forced its way into Hermione's ears as she saw long, red hair covering Harry's torso, the body shaking violently, and wracking with sobs. No one moved to comfort the crying girl. There was no comfort available to give.

The sobs suddenly stopped as Ginny's head snapped up, possessively wrapping her arms around the body as if attempting to protect him from harm as a cold, and harsh laugh rose above the ashes. A snake-like figure moved forward as the laughs grew in numbers coming from every Death Eater. Hermione gripped her wand. She was going to kill them. She was going to kill every last one of them for every vile act they had done. And she was going to enjoy it.

"Your little hero has fallen," Voldemort said in an eerily calm voice, "Your numbers have dwindled. Your loved one's killed. You will lose." It was a statement, said as though there was no other option. No hope. "Join me, and your life will be spared, I guarantee," he paused, "But if you choose to foolishly continue to defy me, there will be a harsh, and painful death awaiting you."

There was a long pause and a pregnant silence that fell over the crowd. It was broken by a small shuffle coming from Hermione's right side, she turned and saw Neville slowly limping his way towards the abandoned middle. _'No,'_ thought Hermione. She couldn't help the disappointment rise inside of her as she watched her friend and former ally about to willingly give himself over to the Dark Lord. She could hear sneers coming from the Death Eaters.

Neville stopped in the middle and turned, staring defiantly into the Dark Lord's blood red eyes, "We will never join you," Neville said, "Harry died for us. He's still with us! Tonks, Fred, everyone who has died tonight will not die in vain. We won't let them. You're wrong. It's not over!"

A spell flew at Neville, knocking him off his feet. And just like that, the spell seemed to be lifted as each side drew their wands and started firing spells at one another. Hermione's mind raced as she blocked another spell. There was no way they were going to be able to defeat Voldemort now. According to her research, only Harry was able to, and he was now well… They needed to get out and quickly. As much as it pained her, they needed to regroup, and find an alternative means to end Lord Voldemort once and for all. And with that thought she grabbed Ron's hand and began to pull him away from the battle, quickly casting a _Flipendo _knocking two Death Eaters backwards. "We need to get out of here. Now," she said in a panicked voice.

"What? No! We need to stay and fight for Harry! Are you bloody mad?" Ron yelled pulling away from her and looking at her as if he didn't know her.

"We need to find another way to kill him. Harry was the only one we know of who could!" Hermione turned and skillfully casted a nonverbal _Stupefy _at an oncoming Death Eater. She turned to Ron with a pleading look in her eyes, "Please trust me."

"Protego!" He yelled, blocking a dark curse from nearly colliding into Hermione, "Reducto!" He aimed at the Death Eater who sent the curse. He grabbed her hand, quickly stealing a sad glance at their best friend's crumpled, and still untouched body, and nodded to her with tears brimming his eyes. They ran. Sending curses at Death Eaters they passed, and didn't stop until they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "There should be a portkey around here," she mumbled looking around the trees, avoiding the direction of the raging battle still happening at Hogwarts and trying to block out the sound of Ron's suppressed sobs. Her own threatened to break free, _'Not now. We need to get to safety,'_ she thought as her shaking hands groped her wand, about to use a summoning spell.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A cold and harsh feminine voice screeched into Hermione's ears and she felt her blood run cold and she unconsciously touched her left forearm. "Potter's little mudblood and blood traitor running away from the battle? My, my what would he think of the two of you?" she sneered, faking a sense of disappointment in her voice.

Hermione turned to see Ron drawing his wand as her voice came out in a dangerous whisper, "Don't you dare say another word."

Bellatrix's face broke out into a malicious smile, "He had so much trust in the two of you. He thought so much of you and both of you are fleeing from the scene like a bunch of cowards," she spat the last word and looked with glee at the rage that began to take over Ron.

"Stupefy! Reducto!" He fired the spells one after another as Bellatrix blocked the first spell with ease and was thrown a bit off balance by the second one. She laughed, "Oh, touchy subject there, blood traitor?" A spell flew at Bellatrix knocking her back and knocking the smile off her face, "You dare try and curse me, blood traitor? I will show you your place! Avada-" the curse was cut off by Hermione throwing a nonverbal Stupefy at her, which she blocked. Bellatrix sent a powerful curse at Hermione, knocking her over and made her limbs feel like they were slowly being crushed. "Ron!" she cried out as she watched Bellatrix block his spell and a green light flashed in front of her eyes as she watched the redhead fall in front of her. Hermione's anger raged over her and powered her magic as she somehow broke the dark curse that Bellatrix had over her and dangerously stood up. Bellatrix turned with a wicked smile on her face and lazily raised her wand, but was thrown back by a powerful source of magic coming out of Hermione, as she hit the tree behind her, falling unconscious.

Hermione ran over to Ron and began to pathetically pull him into a semi-hidden clearing. "Ron," she croaked out as tears fell fast out of her eyes as her shaking hands suddenly grabbed onto her bag she had shrunken and began to search for anything to save him knowing, deep down, that the task was pointless. Her hands groped the small, cool metal as she pulled it out. She felt anger and agony taking over her as her eyes fell on the Time-Turner from her third year. Her fist wrapped around it as anger began to overcome her. She kept wishing she could go back, back to where it all started and fix things. She wished she could stop all these terrible things from ever happening.

The Time Turner in her hand broke and she felt her magic pulsating around her, with a strange, foreign essence egging it on. The sand from the Time Turner mixed with her blood from the glass cutting into her hand and she felt as though she was being sucked into a tube much too tight for her. And blackness consumed her.

She was hazily aware of wet grass beneath her and she thought she could hear footsteps coming towards her.

"Who disobeyed me?" she heard a dark, terrifying voice say. She vaguely thought that she was glad she wasn't at the receiving end of that voice before she allowed the darkness to consume her once again.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N So this is a really long chapter that was originally two separate chapters that I combined because I like where I ended the original Chapter 1. Review for the extra long length and fast update? Please.. haha. This is the first time you'll meet Riddle and first time Hermione will meet him! Please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think! Do you like it, hate it? Let me know  
**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I probably would have a date to prom by now. But I don't have either of those things.**

Chapter One

He slowly walked towards her, and eyed the girl's crumpled form, with annoyance filling him. Yes, he had told his followers to intimidate, but do so in a manner that would not draw attention to them. Obviously, one of his dimwitted minions took the intimidation factor to the point of carelessness. "I believe I asked, 'Who disobeyed me?'" he repeated with his eyes trained on the girl before slowly turning, and raising his eyebrow, "Do not make me ask again."

His eyes fell on his obviously dumbstruck followers. It was clear that they knew nothing of what happened, let alone took part in it. Yet, he needed to send a reminder, a warning to his Knights of what would come if they were to ever disobey them. "Avery? Come forward," he commanded to the built, blonde boy. The boy who was physically bigger than Riddle seemed to shrink under his gaze as he scurried to the front and bowed deeply.

"My lord," he said with a slight quiver in his voice due to the anticipation of what was to come. Riddle suppressed a smirk as he started to walk around Avery, like a predator stalking its prey.

"I feel as though I made it quite clear what my orders were in the last meeting, wouldn't you think so?" He asked in a conversational tone, as he twirled his yew wand elegantly.

"Yes, my lord."

"Yes," he said smirking, his face quickly fell to that of murderous as he turned to him, "I stated intimidate to the point where any of our more brazen fellow students would be too fearful to attempt to defy us, in which you all took into heed," he paused for a moment with his wand falling gracefully into his hand as he eyed them and threw a passing glance at the unconscious pile behind him, "Obviously." He rolled his eyes and resumed the path around his victim. "Though, I believe I added, 'With the veil of innocence', do you know why I added that, Avery?"

"N-no, my lord."

"Of course not," he said condescendingly, "Its purpose was to not draw attention or give certain professors justification to bring us down." He turned, his pale eyes flashing briefly with red. "This display disregards that completely. You all have disobeyed me by letting this happen."

Avery flinched violently at the sight of Tom raising his wand at him. He did a small flick of his wand as the dirt on Avery's shirt disappeared, "Do remember to clean yourself up before the meetings Avery, I expect you to at least look respectable." He flashed an innocent smile before turning around and continued to walk into the forest as the rest of his minions shuffled behind him, "Are you coming or not?" Avery shakily got to his legs and hurried after the group.

Alphard followed closely behind Riddle after the meeting. They left the Forbidden Forest and he eyed the abandoned girl, grimacing at the sight of her.

She looked like death. Blood and dirt caked over almost every inch of her creamy skin and curly hair. Her petite body laid at an awkward angle that indicated the dislocation of multiple body parts.

"My lord," he said stopping Voldemort in his tracks, "I think that we should bring the girl to the hospital wing."

He turned to the rest of his minions, "Leave us," he commanded, as they immediately obeyed.

Voldemort turned to back his most trusted and valued Knight and raised an eyebrow, "I do not see how the girl concerns me in anyway."

"My lord, Dumbledore will see this girl as initiative to point the finger at you more. He is much more suspicious after the Crabbe incident."

Voldemort rolled his eyes at the thought of his incompetent lackey using dark magic on the fourth year Hufflepuff in the corridors.

"He will find a way to use this against you, my lord. If you were the one to bring her to the hospital wing, you will be the hero, not the suspect."

"Levitate her," he sighed, casting a quick Disillusionment charm on her, "Come on, then."

Riddle and Black made their way to the secret passage they had found as second years. Once in the building Riddle took off the charm, and ordered Alphard to drop her. He felt a pang of annoyance at the way Black cautiously put her down. "Now go back to your dorm, Alphard, before I give you a detention for wandering around the castle past curfew."

Alphard smirked and bowed slightly, "Yes, my lord."

Tom watched Alphard's retreating form as he turned to the source of his annoyance. She was in bad shape. That was obvious, but from what? She was not a student, he had not seen her at Hogwarts before and she was definitely too old to be a first-year, looking about his age. He soon seized his ponderings and swiftly picked her up, placing a perfect mask of concern and fear on his face.

* * *

Hands. Hermione was aware of strong, masculine hands on her back and legs. The hands were paired with arms that held her against a firm body. Her head lolled back, resting on the body as she attempted with the little strength she had left to look up, and open her eyes to see who was carrying her. Her eyes cracked open and a hazy mess appeared. Through the blur she could vaguely make out a man with dark hair that seemed to be messy, although that may have been due to her impaired vision. He seemed pale and her mind started to alter the unclear visions in front of her to show her what she desired, as if her eyes were becoming the Mirror of Erised. The hair was becoming messier, the pale eyes becoming a bright green, and she could swear that she could see glasses framing his eyes.

"Harry?" She barely managed to croak out. The man looked down at her and raised his eyebrow, yet did not answer. She couldn't fight the tiredness taking her over anymore, and she surrendered to the luring darkness once again.

* * *

"Madame Carmentis!" Tom yelled, perfectly pulling off the shocked student façade.

A short, plump woman scurried forward and surveyed the scene, "Put her on this bed, quickly please," she said as she started casting healing charms, "What happened to the poor dear?"

"I- I don't know, I was doing my rounds and she was just lying there, unconscious and in this condition. I didn't know what to do so I b-brought her here."

"You did the right thing, Tom, it was not your fault. You may have just saved her life."

Tom internally smirked at this, but his face remained frightened and worried, "I just hope she will be okay."

"As do I, now please go alert Dippet."

"Of course," he said getting up, making sure to send one more worried glance at the mystery girl when he knew Madame Carmentis was looking.

Headmaster Dippet quickly came into the room after Tom, "Thank you for alerting me Tom," he said as he looked over the girl. "Elina, what happened?"

"She seems to be gravely injured, the remnants of dark curses are all over her and she seems to have many broken bones, with a large amount of blood loss. She surely would have died if it had not been for Mr. Riddle, here being the dutiful Head Boy that he is," she said looking admiringly at Tom.

"She is not a student, how could she have gotten through the wards?" Dippet questioned mostly to himself.

"I have no idea, yet she seems to have been in some kind of battle."

"And the losing side at that," Tom commented darkly, briefly wondering who she was fighting and what she was fighting for, as he watched the oblivious faculty continue to work to treat her.

* * *

Hermione's eyes squinted open as she tried to make out the scene around her. White. Everywhere she looked she could see white. The scene was reminiscent of when she woke up in the hospital wing, in her second year. She had the same sensations, the same softness of the sheets she was now laying in sending a sense of calm towards her, the same smell of healing potions, and honey wafting in her freckled nose, and the same bright whiteness clouding her vision. Her eyes scanned the room, attempting to adjust to the light as they passed over a dark figure standing a bit away, like a blemish on otherwise perfect skin.

_'Maybe Death is finally paying me a visit,'_ she thought hopefully. The thought of seeing her friends and loved ones again brought a rush of relief to her. But, as her eyes continued to adjust, she realized the dark character was not the cloaked figure of Death, but a young man.

He looked like a fallen angel. His skin was pale and smooth, covering his high cheekbones and broad jawline making him look like he was cut from marble. His pale, blue eyes looked straight at her with curiosity and well hidden annoyance.

He was beautiful.

Yet so out of place in this white washed room. He had a darkness to him that made him different from the all-around good nature that Hermione could pick up in the other figures moving around the room. He was more dangerous. And more intriguing.

"My dear, you have finally awoken," an old wrinkled, and tan man looked over her with his brown eyes showing relief, "You gave us quite the scare, for a moment."

"W-where am I?" She asked, flinching at the hoarseness that took over her normally soft, feminine voice.

"Hogwarts, I am Headmaster Dippet. You were found unconscious, and suffering from severe injuries in the corridors," Dippet said gravely.

"Hogwarts?" She looked around wildly. Yes this was definitely Hogwarts, but not the Hogwarts she had fighting. The building seemed to have no damage done to it, there were no curse flying around her, there was no suffocating smell of death that consumed her senses. "How did I get here?"

"That is what we are trying to figure out, do you remember anything?"

Her mind was racing. Dumbledore was not the Headmaster yet, Dippet was. That means that she must've gone back in time. _'But how far back?'_ she thought. Her eyes looked around and soon fell onto an issue of the _Daily Prophet_ with the front page titled "**Grindlewald on the Rise!**" Her eyes found the date, September 7th, 1945. She had travelled back over fifty years. _'But that's impossible!'_

Her breath regressed to shallow gasps as she struggled to breath. Her mind replaying what had happened. She shakily lifted up her right hand and saw small scars of cuts that had been newly healed. She put her head down, she couldn't breathe. Panic consumed her.

"Miss?" Dippet asked suspiciously, and Hermione was immediately brought out of her trance.

"I remember there was a battle. I live in a small village in France, and Grindlewald's followers invaded us. We were prepared," she paused closing her eyes as tears welled up as she thought of the final battle, "We thought we were prepared. B-but there were so many of them. They just kept coming. If you took out one, there was three more to replace him. There was no way we could defeat them. Our numbers were dwindling, there was fire everywhere," she looked up at the former Headmaster, and regained her composure, "Some of the elders in the village had set up portkeys in order for a quick retreat if we needed to. As I was fighting, I heard people yelling at us to retreat. So I did. I ran until I reached the closest portkey. I looked back to see if there was anyone else following me, but there was just fire. So I grabbed onto it," she paused and looked at Dippet, hoping her performance was enough to get him to believe her, and silently thanked Merlin when she saw the pitying look in his eyes.

"But how did it bring you to Hogwarts? How did you manage to break through the wards?"

"I don't remember anything else, Headmaster, I apologize I cannot be of more help. I truly don't know how I came to be here. I do remember the village elders saying that Hogwarts was the safest place to be during times of war, though."

"That is true, my dear. And for someone who has been through the amount of tragedy that you have endured at such a young age, I would just not be able to live with myself I were to turn you away. If I may, how old are you Miss-?"

"Hermione, Hermione Granger, sir," She said quickly, before doing a quick intake of breath. She had used her real name. She had been so relieved that her faux story had been believable that she had used her real name. She blocked the thought of the possible effects that she had already caused the future, "I'm seventeen, and I was homeschooled by my parents."

"Ah, you are in the same year as Mr. Riddle here, who found you!"

"R-Riddle, sir?" She asked shakily. No this could not be happening. But, despite her minds many protests, the elegant figure she had been admiring when she first came to, approach her, and took her bandaged hair.

"Tom Riddle, Miss Granger, and I must tell you how happy I am that you are okay." The performance was absolutely flawless. The small quiver in his voice to show that he was shaken up by finding her in such a terrible condition, the relief and concern in his eyes. If she had not known who he was, and what he would become, she would've believed him.

But she knew all too well.

Then, much to her fear, and disgust he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. She was disgusted, she was afraid, and she felt an unrestrained hatred pouring out of her. It was too much to process the emotions overwhelming her. Her body did the only logical thing it could do in this state.

She fainted.

**A/N: Oh and if you review you'll get sneak peaks of the next chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N I'd like to apologize to all of the guest reviewers who didn't get a sneak peak! There was no way I could have sent it to you without uploading it for the public which I didn't want to do, so I am SO sorry! :(**

**On another note, this is a short filler chapter, but it's necessary. After this, the story will start to kick off! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed my story and tell you guys that you literally make my life and are my muses. If you review, you'll get a sneak peak of the next chapter, just please make sure you have an account and are able to get private messages! If you don't please review anyway and tell me what you think! Okay you guys rock :)**

Chapter Two

She was lying. It was so painfully obvious as she retold the story of her "past". The way her voice came out, in a calculated depressed tone. It was like the ingredients to a potion. One part shock, one part fear, and two parts grief. Tom had to admit that her acting skills were decent. Though they lacked the genuine feel that he had mastered. The only way she had fooled the Headmaster and Madame Carmentis, aside from the fact that both are exceedingly daft, was that part of the story was true. She was honest about being in a battle, one could tell from her worn state, and she was honest about being ill-prepared. Yet it was in the details, were she laced her lies. She had not lived in a small village in France, she was not home-schooled, and there were no village elders. She was hiding something. It was obvious.

Riddle's curiosity was begging him to find out what, but he soon quieted that part of him. His plans were about to unfold and he did not have time to worry about some mysterious girl who happened to show up.

"Ah, you are in the same year as Mr. Riddle here, who found you!"

He was quickly brought out of his musings and he stepped forward, determined to show Miss Granger the true meaning of acting.

He was flawless. His words so carefully chosen, he could almost feel himself becoming the scared and concerned student. He could see fear evident in her doe-like brown eyes. He did not think much of it, he usually had that effect on students. But, as he leaned down to place a respectable and appropriate kiss on her shaking hand, he saw disgust and anger join the fear in her eyes. He stood up just to watch her fall down. His eyebrows knit together.

"The poor dearie must be overwhelmed by what has happened to her," the nurse said, patting Tom on the shoulder, in a comforting manner. He resisted the urge to push the vile creature off of him.

"Of course," he said throwing a small smile in the nurse's direction, to which she blushed in return.

No person had reacted to him in that way unless it was his followers, while he was threatening them. It was impossible this girl who had just met him could see through his ruse so quickly. Perhaps what she was hiding, concerned him in some way, since it was clear she knew more about him than he would've liked.

_'This could pose as a problem,'_ he thought. The annoyance that had been bubbling inside him since he laid eyes on her grew into bitter disdain. It seems he would not be able to put his full attention on his plans when the problem is around. He would need his followers to keep an unfaltering eye on his little Miss Granger.

"Tom, you should go to your dorm room. You are exempt from classes today, but you must sleep," Dippet said, concerned.

Tom glanced at Hermione and hesitated before looking up at Dippet and placing a charming smile on his face, "Of course, Professor."

The teenaged Dark Lord felt uncomfortable about leaving this mysterious girl where he could not keep an eye on her. If she knew something about him, he could not risk leaving her alone in the presence of the Headmaster.

After seeing the hesitation in Tom, Dippet placed an old, withered hand on Tom's shoulder and said, "You have no need to be concerned about the girl. She seems to be stable enough. You can come back once you're feeling up for it. You may even be present for her sorting. I'm quite sure she would appreciate it seeing that you are the one who found her."

"I'd like that very much, Professor. Thank you."

Dippet offered him a small smile and gestured his hand kindly to the door. Once Riddle turned around, his smile fell into a dark scowl. This nuisance needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. He would not have his plans put on hold, not after he came this far.

He turned down the corridor and walked in front of the blank wall three times. He took out the silver token in his pocket with two snakes coiled inside of it and whispered Parseltongue to it, alerting his followers to meet in the Room of Requirement.

After a couple minutes, his yawning followers filed in rubbing their eyes and attempting to get their bedhead under control. Abraxas plopped himself on the green sofa and curled up into a ball, "My lord, we just had a meeting literally four hours ago. I need my beauty sleep," he drawled.

"Obviously it must be important if he called us all in here at this hour. The Dark Lord does not waste your time, and you would do well to remember that," Alphard stated, smacking Abraxas on the backside of the head, forcing his to sit up.

"I took the girl that was outside of the forest to the hospital wing, so not to draw any more attention to us than necessary. She was in a battle, yet lied about her background. Dippet is planning on enrolling her. Normally, I would not pay attention to the actions of some girl, but she seems to know something about me. And based on her actions towards me, it's not positive. I cannot risk any lose ends being let out this close to the plan. Dippet plans on making me her tour guide for Hogwarts, so I should be with her frequently. Though, when I'm not I expect you to watch her. Do not harm her, do not threaten her, and do not give her any reason to suspect us more than she already does. Do not leave her unattended unless you have no means of getting to her. Do I make myself clear?"

"She could be a new conquest for me," Abraxas said smirking, "She did look quite attractive under all that blood, and dirt, and shit."

Riddle rolled his eyes, "Go to class, she is in the hospital wing right now. I want someone there to alert me right away the moment she wakes up."

"Yes, my lord," The group said as they got up and walked out of the room, leaving Riddle to ponder over the strange events that had occurred.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N I don't really have anything to say expect please review and tell me what you think :)**

Chapter 4

This time when Hermione came to she was not stuck in a hazy delirium. Her mind immediately started going at light speed, thinking of a believable backstory to ward off any suspicion. She had already given herself a good base with the lie she had fed Dippet.

She frowned slightly at how painfully easy it was to trick the old Headmaster. _'No wonder Voldemort got away with so much while he was at Hogwarts.' _Dippet was trusting without having any reason to be, and always looked for the good in people even if that blinded him from someone's true nature. He was nothing like Dumbledore.

_'Dumbledore!'_ she thought. How had she not thought of him before? Surely he would be able to help her. But suddenly, her train of thought stopped as she thought of Rita Skeeter's book on the powerful wizard, and how Harry had confirmed some of the stories to be true. Dumbledore was ambitious and somewhat power-hungry in his youth, and untrustworthy. She knew she was important, coming from the future. One seeking power would not hesitate to manipulate her to their own advantage.

No, she had to figure this out on her own. She had to do this alone. _Alone._ The word echoed through her head as she thought of the battle she had come from just hours before. Alone. That's what she would be if she went back to the future. Harry was dead. Ron was dead. Her parents were missing. She had no doubt that many, if not all of those who fought for the Light in the final battle would either be dead or enslaved.

_'What's the point of going back at all?' _she thought to herself. She would be killed or enslaved. And for the first time in her life, Hermione Granger had no idea what to do. She didn't have a plan, or a purpose.

She was lost.

Her mind was going into a chaotic mess because of the vivid and gory memories of the battle, to the point where she was forced to block it all out. She had become a tightly sealed vessel, trying desperately to hold everything in.

She decided to give herself some time. She was Hermione Granger, after all. She would eventually think of a plan, she just needed time. Just a couple of days, maybe a week. She needed time to get herself under control. For right now, her goal was to fly under the radar and not attract any unwanted attention.

* * *

"My lord, she's awake," said a short and slightly chubby boy, bowing deeply.

Tom looked up and quickly closed the book he had been reading and began taking long strides down the corridor, soon leaving behind Crabbe. He finally reached the hospital wing and opened the doors, only to be met by a pair of large, amber eyes.

Tom was surprised by how good of an eye Abraxas seemed to have. It was clear that many would find that Miss Granger was not unattractive. He was slightly impressed that Abraxas could see her good looks even in the battle-worn state she was in when they found her. The battle clearly affected her, though. She had deep and dark circles under her eyes that largely contrasted her light, creamy skin. Her collarbones were sticking out from under her shirt as a sign of the malnourishment she had experienced. Her hair was thick and wild with curls that fell just below the collarbone.

She looked older than her age, and the light that was normally lit in teenagers eyes were extinguished. Just like his. He smirked as he noticed that her face was carefully blank. _'Clever girl, it's a shame you are too late.'_

"Ah, Tom, you're here just in time. Hermione has finally woken up, and seems in a much better condition than we found her in. She may even be able to start classes in a few day!"

"Professor," the girl said respectfully, "As I was explaining before, I would like to start my studies as soon as possible. I would like to start them by tomorrow."

The way she said it seemed like a request, but it was clear that she was not going to take no for an answer.

"If you insist, dear. We just need to get you sorted then. Tom, if you'd please help Miss Granger up and assist her to my office."

"Of course, Professor," Tom said gliding up to Hermione and offering his hand, as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

She pushed his hand away hastily and pushed herself up to prove to him that she was not weak. Unfortunately, she had gotten up too fast and found herself swaying slightly as spots clouded her vision. Tom quickly caught her, "Don't you think you've fainted enough for one day?" He whispered into her ear.

Chills were sent down her spine as she felt his cool breath on the outer edge of her ear, as she quickly took a step away from her and followed Dippet to his office.

* * *

"Please sit, Miss Granger," Dippet said offering her a worn out wooden chair.

She quietly took a seat and eyed Tom as he leaned against the wall, with a shadow falling over him. After some clanking and badly covered up curses, Dippet finally recovered the old tattered hat, and placed it on Hermione's head.

_"Miss Granger, it's nice to see you again. Although, unfortunately I see it is not in the best circumstances. Yes, you have been through much since I last sorted you. That has darkened you quite a bit. You have done many things, my dear, things that Godric Gryffindor would not be proud of, but something that one Salazar Slytherin would enjoy."_

She huffed, frustrated, "It was a war, I did what I had to do. I'm not proud of it."

She did not notice the dark figure in the corner raise his eyebrow at the remark she was not even aware she said aloud.

_"My dear, you have misunderstood me. I am not pointing any fingers here, just noting the changes. I see you're a bit lost, do not worry, your path will become clear to you soon. The path you will embark on is a dangerous one, and I wish you all the best of luck. Only you can accomplish this, and for that I am thankful that you truly are a-"_

"GRYFINNDOR!"The hat shouted.

She breathed out a breath of relief, she had thought for a moment the hat was going to sort her into Slytherin. Yet her mind pondered on what the hat had said to her. It seems that she did have a path after all, but she frankly wasn't ready to begin the hike. She was too worn out from the war she had just come from not even a day ago. She needed a break. She needed some _'sleep'_ she thought wearily.

As if on cue, Dippet took the hat off with a huge smile on his face, "Well Tom, would you mind showing Miss Granger to the Gryffindor common room?" He looked merrily at her schedule that had appeared after he muttered a spell, and handed it to her, "It looks like Mr. Riddle has almost all of the same classes as you do. Tom, if you don't mind, perhaps you could be the one to escort Miss Granger to her classes and show her around a bit? I would normally ask this of the Miss Augusta Prewett since she is both a Gryffindor and Head Girl, but since you two already know each other, this arrangement seems a bit better convenience, does it not?"

Hermione immediately recognized the name Augusta Prewett as Neville's grandmother and began to open her mouth to sway Dippet to let Augusta show her around, only to be cut off by a silky voice saying, "I would be happy to, Professor." He turned to her and smiled, gloating at her, enjoying the panic that settled on her face.

"Follow me, Miss Granger," he said swiftly turning around and walking out the door.

Hermione took a deep breath before following him, and attempted to keep a considerable amount of distance between them.

He turned to her and sighed dramatically with a smirk playing on his lips, "Do try to keep up, just because you were in a battle does not mean I will tolerate laziness."

Her eyebrows drew down into a light scowl, as she let out an angry breath and stomped up to him, attempting to fall in step with his long strides. They walked in silence for the rest of the way. Tom continued to glance down at her, enjoying the redness to her face. Finally, they reached the Fat Lady and Tom turned to face her.

"The password is _Lemon Drops_, you will find your room down the left hallway, second door on the right. Your roommate have already been informed of your arrival, and you will find an empty bed, and your school robes, as well as other necessities for you there. You are to meet me here at 7:30 sharp. Do not be late. Until that time, I suggest you get some rest," he eyed her up and down passively, "and shower."

She raised her eyebrows at him in offense and crossed her arms, yet remained silent.

"Goodnight, Miss Granger," he said turning around and walking off.

She turned towards the portrait to say the password and heard, "Do not forget 7:30!" being called from down the corridor. She quickly whispered the password and slipped inside. She kept her head downcast, not ready for the emotions and nostalgia she knew the familiar common room would force out of her. She fumbled with the doorknob to her room, finally unlocking it, and throwing her small bag she had carried all throughout her travels down on her bed. She scurried into the bathroom and ripped off her clothes and quickly jumped into the ice cold shower that had not yet heated up.

She washed away the remaining dirt, and dried blood that had not been cleaned off during her time in the hospital wing. She took her time. She started with her feet, rubbing away the countless times she had had to run for her life, then to her ankles which she had sprained once while escaping what was supposed to be a simple mission for the Order. She moved to her legs, tracing the spider web-like scar that went around her left knee. And although she knew she couldn't wash away the scar, she knew she could wash away the memory of how she got it. So she washed away the night her, Harry, and Ron had to run from Snatchers, she washed away how she got hit with a dark curse and had to be half-dragged away by Ron. She moved up her body and did that with every scar she could find that she had gotten during the war. She washed her shoulders, forgetting how Tonks had clung onto them as she died, making her promise to always remind Teddy of how his parents will always love him. Her fingers traced the inside of her left arm, lightly outlining the harsh and pink scar that roughly spelled out 'Mudblood'. She took the washcloth, and scrubbed as hard as she could, until the skin was red and burning.

Once she was sufficiently clean of the dirt and horrible memories. She stepped out of the shower, put on her pajamas and curled up into the fetal position in her bed. Her mind fell into a dark slumber, allowing her one good night's sleep, before it would begin torturing her with nightmares.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N Okay a couple of things, I am acknowledging that what I wrote about Ancient Runes is made up and is probably wrong. I have a very limited knowledge about Ancient Runes. I tried to look it up, but I didn't find much. ALSO THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO READ THIS PART: I have decided this story will eventually turn M- Rated. There are certain things I feel I need to include for the plot. There will be warnings before chapters with explicit contents and a summary will be provided for those who don't want to read those chapter. Thanks for the support and enjoy the chapter **

Chapter 5

Hermione woke up in the familiar sense of security that Hogwarts had always given her. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, glancing at the clock.

_'6:30, Ron and Harry won't be down for breakfast for ages,'_ she thought smiling to herself. Just because her friends were lazy doesn't mean she had to be. She always liked getting down to breakfast early. It gave her more time to read uninterrupted. She walked to the bathroom and flicked on the light, suddenly gasping at her appearance in the mirror. Her hollow face and the abundance of new scars on her served as a reminder of where she had come from.

She closed her eyes tightly and ran her shaking hands through her abnormally coarse hair sliding to the ground. _No._ She would not allow herself to fall apart now. Not yet. The time would come when she would allow herself to face the tragedy in her life, a time where she would let herself cry for hours over her fallen loved ones and mourn them the way they deserved to be mourned. But she knew they would want her to persevere. She was not safe yet, and she could not show a sign of weakness.

She forced herself to look back into the mirror. She waved her wand and her skin went from being the sickly shade of pale to her normal, creamy color and added a slight blush to her face in order to make herself look healthier. She covered up the bags under her eyes and lightened them up. From there she wrestled her hair that looked even more damaged than normal back to her normal bushy curls. She smiled slightly, enjoying how she looked like her old self again. She only wished she could do something about the dead look in her eyes.

Once she had finished getting ready, she walked out of the common room and directly into a toned figure. She looked up only to find the teenaged Dark Lord staring down at her with annoyance written all over his face.

"You're late," he stated in a cold voice.

She furrowed her brows and looked at her clock which read 7:31. "Hardly, and I just came from a battle. I think I deserved to sleep in, though you obviously did not think the same."

"I specifically stated for you to be here by 7:30, how foolish of me to think that you would be able to handle something as simple as that, and if you please, I do not care to hear about your excuses. You seemed to sleep quite a bit with all that fainting you were doing. You were the one who insisted on starting classes today, if you couldn't handle it, you shouldn't have done it. This way, please," and with that, he turned from her and started to stride away.

She followed after him slightly confused. The Voldemort she knew would have crucio'd someone on the spot for tardiness, yet this younger version obviously had more self-control. It was clear he was annoyed, yet he still held a respectable tone that almost covered up the snide comments he was saying.

_'He still needs to keep up the perfect Head Boy image. He can't just go around torturing anyone he pleases. Especially after Myrtle dying.'_ When Hermione came to the realization, she felt a bit safer, knowing he was restricted from harming her, at least while others were around.

Once they reached the Great Hall, Tom turned to her, "The Gryffindor table is on the far left with the red and gold banners above it, as you probably already guessed. I will be at the Slytherin table on the far right. I will come and get you when it is time to go to our first class. Do try to eat something, you so obviously need it," he said with disgust coming into his voice as he eyed her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you always this rude to people?"

He smirked at her, "Only the one's I enjoy watching squirm."

She looked down, a blush slightly ghosting over her cheeks as she shifted from side to side, uncomfortable with his sudden scrutiny of her. He walked forward so that he was directly in front of her, and gently pushed her chin up to look at him. She couldn't help but notice how absolutely beautiful he was, and at this proximity to him, she had to actively keep herself focused on his words, "Plus Miss Granger, as I recall you never treated me kindly, even when I was polite to you. I can only civilized to someone as rude as you for so long," he said it so innocently, as if he was secretly hurt by her treating him coldly.

_ 'The time your feelings get hurt will be the time when Snape dresses in drag,'_ she thought smugly, her face slightly dropping as she remembered when Neville dressed up his Snape boggart in his Grandmother's dress.

Tom stepped away from Hermione and smirked at her, "You're going to have to earn that back, Miss Granger."

Hermione turned and walked off to her House table. She sat down and piled food on her plate, grateful for the meal that, much to her dismay, Tom was correct in saying she needed.

"You're new, right?" she heard a voice say, she looked up to see a pretty girl with a slightly tanned face looking at her with sparkling hazel eyes, "Hermione Granger, I presume?"

Hermione nodded her head, "Yes."

The girl stuck out her long and thin elegant hand, taking Hermione's petite one it in and shaking, "I'm Renée Bryant, I'm your roommate. I really wanted to introduce myself this morning, but you were already gone. So I had to find you now because my curiosity just wouldn't let me wait."

Hermione smiled her first genuine smile at the girl, "Yes, Mr. Riddle made me leave a bit early this morning I'm afraid."

Renée raised her brow, "Tom's showing you around? I don't know whether to envy or pity you."

"Why do you say that?" From what Hermione could tell in the brief time she was in this time period was that the whole school loved Riddle.

She shrugged, "Well he's gorgeous, there's no doubting that. I definitely wouldn't mind having to look at that sculpted piece of perfection all day," she laughed lightly before throwing a glance at Tom then leaning in towards Hermione. Hermione copied the action, "But he's a bit off, if you know what I mean. He comes off as this proper and polite gentleman, but it seems a bit forced. Plus, he acts like a forty year old instead of a teenager. Though I heard he's had his fair share of girls." She leaned back and sighed, taking a bite of her eggs, "And there lies the confusion that is Tom Riddle."

Hermione furrowed her brows in confusion, but returned the smile Renée flashed her. This girl was definitely not like Harry and Ron, she was much too gossipy and talked too much to be like them. But she sent off a friendly and welcoming air that Hermione could appreciate.

Hermione spent the rest of breakfast listening to Renée insist on introducing her to everyone on the surrounding area, the stories that Hermione had missed, and the details of Hogwarts that Hermione already knew. Although Hermione would normally be annoyed with such insistent chatter, she now was relieved by it because it kept her mind away from the dark memories that were waiting to pounce on her.

A shadow fell over Hermione as a silky voice halted Renee's high-pitch one, "Miss Bryant," it greeted.

"Tom," Renée said, throwing away the formalities that Riddle had used causing his smile to tighten a bit.

"Pardon my interruption, but I must escort Miss Granger to her first class."

Renée scanned Hermione's face to see her reactions finding a strategically placed blank look in place. Renée nodded, flashing both of them a wide smile, "Of course, we don't want you to be late to your first class at Hogwarts! I'll see you at the dorm or common room or something later, Hermione," she turned to Riddle and nodding, "Tom, always a pleasure." A well hidden tang of sarcasm went through her voice at the last statement.

"And to you as well, Miss Bryant," he turned to Hermione and gestured towards the door with his hand, "Miss Granger, if you please."

Hermione got up, said her goodbyes to Renée, and allowed Tom to walk her to class.

Her first class was Advance Ancient Runes, where she situated herself in the back row with her head down, trying to not attract too much attention to herself. Voldemort had already seen too much of her and Hermione needed to tread carefully. The rest of the class consisted of mostly Ravenclaws and a couple other select few Slytherins, two of which she recognized as Abraxas Malfoy and Alphard Black.

The tall and extremely thin professor walked to the front of the class with his glasses looking as if they were going to fall off the brim of his nose. He turned to the board and started drawing runes of various levels of difficulty. "Welcome to Advance Ancient Runes, I am Professor Achak. Now can anyone tell me what this rune represents?" He asked pointing to the simplest rune. The entire class raised their hands and he called on a petite Ravenclaw boy, "That represents two, sir."

"Correct." As the Professor progressed along asking more and more difficult runes, the number of hands fell dramatically, leaving on Tom's confident hand, and Hermione's half-hearted one.

"And this last one, ah our new student, Miss Granger?"

Hermione blushed deeply as she realized she had raised her hand out of habit, not even realizing she had. Tom's gaze bored into her with a look that clearly showed that he doubted she knew the answer.

She ignored him and turned to the gaunt professor, "That rune can heal those who have suffered from curses concocted from very Dark magic. Of course, this rune is peculiar because unlike most healing runes that help witches and wizards with very light and good-natured magic, this rune used Dark magic to fight the dark magic of the injury. You have to carve it into the person's stomach for it to be able to work. It is a very painful process and most feel as though it is not worth it." Once she had finished she shot Riddle a smug look, suddenly off-put by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

She immediately looked down, _'Stupid.'_ This was not the way to go unnoticed. After the class had finished she quickly gathered her things and raced out of the room towards her next class, not bothering to wait for Tom.

Suddenly, she heard fast footsteps catching up to her until cold hands wrapped around her shoulders pulling her backside flush against a muscular body.

"And where do you think you're going?" A smooth voice whispered to her against her ear, causing her to involuntarily shudder, in which he smirked at.

She looked around for help only receiving angry glares from girls that Hermione could only presume belonged in Riddle's fan club. She pushed herself away from him and spun around. "To class, if you don't mind," she snapped at him.

"Really?" he said smirking at her.

"Yes really, though you don't seem too keen on allowing me to continue on my way."

"You seem very comfortable at Hogwarts," he started in a conversational tone, "for someone who just arrived here for the first time yesterday."

Her face fell slightly, "Y-yes, well I heard one of the Ravenclaws saying that he had Herbology next as well, so I was following him."

"I see," he said, glancing around them at the now empty corridor they stood in, "Well since you seem to have lost him, allow me to escort you to the class."

She noticed he was staring deeply into her eyes, _'Legilimens.'_ She thought, quickly placing her eyes on the floor.

He smirked at this and began walking away, casually calling back a, "This way, Granger," to her as she tried to catch up with the Dark Lord.

**A/N Please tell me your opinions on Renée because I'm deciding on how big of a role she will have in this story and it's really up to you guys. So I really need to hear from you all!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N Ahhh thank you everyone who reviewed/favorite/followed the story! As I keep telling myself, this is the building part of the story. Building characters, plots, tension, conflict, so please keep reading! Review and share the story! Tell me what you think! I feel like I sound desperate so enjoy!**

Chapter 6

A week had passed since Hermione began classes and she had remained virtually silent in all of them, determined to not attract any more attention than she already had. She had carried the quiet act when it came to being around other students as well. Most had deemed her as introverted and only really talked to her to give her a polite hello. Yet, one student had been determined to keep a close watch on her. He brought a sense of fear, anger, and anxiety. This man was Tom Riddle.

Despite Hermione's protests after the first couple of days, he insisted on walking her to every class. He was always in a close proximity to her, save for when she was in the Gryffindor common room, and he would always bate her with things that he knew would bother her despite his limited knowledge of her.

He was biding his time, placing a crack here and there in the mold she had built for herself in this time period, waiting for her to fall apart altogether. He would casually point out the faults in her back story that she had somehow overlooked, questioning her in a way that one would see as an inquiry, but Hermione could see it for what it really was: an interrogation.

One day, he was walking her to class when he turned to look at her, twirling his yew wand in his hands, "Granger," he said drawing out the word as if he was mulling it over, "What an unusual name."

Hermione did a sharp intake of breath at this, but remained virtually unfazed.

"It's not very common, is it?"

"No," she said simply.

"No," he repeated pursing his lips as if he was thinking over something, "Especially not in the wizarding world," he laughed lightly and Hermione felt chills go down her spine. Her instincts were telling her to run, but she kept herself rooted in her place by his side.

"Yes," she said, "Just like Riddle."

At this, he turned to her, his face rang with fury. She flinched violently away from him, when he suddenly calmed and smiled, though it seemed tenser than his previous one.

He flicked his wand and the cuts she had made from clenching her hands were healed, "Yes," he said slowly, "Just like Riddle."

He eyed her pale, sweaty, and shaking form, "Should I take you to the Hospital Wing, Miss Granger? You seem ill."

He flashed her an equally innocent, yet mocking smile as she let out a shaky, "No."

"Ah, well then we must get to class before we are late."

That happened three days ago and Hermione had successfully avoided him since then. Though, she got the sickening feeling that she had only managed that because he allowed her to stray from him, yet she never seemed to feel like she had fully escaped from his watch. Now she sat in one of her only classes she did not share with him, and allowed herself to breathe again. She looked to her side and saw Renee pursing her small lips at the gigantic pot take up their entire table.

"Now class!" Professor Beery exclaimed, "The Snargaluff pods are extremely tricky to deal with so please arrange yourselves in groups of four."

Renee immediately started waving over two Gryffindors when Hermione felt a breath ghost her ear, "I know your secret," the voice said as she turned to see a familiar blonde haired boy seat himself down next to her.

She struggled to hold her composure, "Oh really? And what is that?"

"That you're actually a genius," he stated, staring at her accusingly.

"I was not aware that was a secret."

"Oh yes you did," he joked, "You act all quiet and don't participate, when really you're feeding Bryant answers. It's quite selfish actually."

Hermione quirked her eyebrows at him.

"Only sharing your genius with Bryant. You should start sharing the wealth with more people. More people worthy of your genius, like Alphard and I. Isn't that right, Alphard?" He said looking back at the dark-haired man seating himself next to a very silent and suddenly stiff Renee.

Alphard chuckled lowly with his dark locks falling over his equally dark eyes, "Just because you're shit at every subject doesn't mean I am too."

Malfoy shrugged, "It's still selfish. Really though, Hermione, I don't blame you that much. I mostly blame Bryant for hiding you from us," he turned to Renee, "That was extremely selfish of you, not only hiding Hermione's brains from us, but also her beauty."

"Put your tongue back in your mouth, Malfoy, it's distracting," Renee said rolling her eyes.

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy there, Bryant?" Malfoy said smugly, "Don't worry, you're not bad yourself. Could use a bit more food though, you're lacking in the," he paused, as if trying to find the right word.

He pointed at Alphard to finish the thought for him, "Womanly assets?"

Malfoy turned smugly back at her, "I was going to say a decent ass and tits, but Alphard is more well-mannered than me."

"Prat!" Renee yelled at Alphard who gave her a cheeky grin in return.

Hermione opened her mouth to defend her newfound friend when Renee turned to Malfoy, "As if I would be jealous over a ferret like you. Don't kid yourself, Malfoy. Your ego is obviously overcompensating for a few things," She snapped, making sure to run her eyes over his trousers.

Malfoy opened his mouth to retort when he was cut off, "As interesting as insulting you is, Bryant," Alphard paused, looking her over, "And believe me when I say it is, I was more interested in actually having a decent conversation," Alphard turning to Hermione, missing the embarrassed and hurt look that appeared on Renee's face at his comment, "So, Hermione, how are your classes so far?"

Hermione suddenly had a wave of nostalgia run over her. Flashbacks assaulted her memory of all the times she, Harry, and Ron had referred to Malfoy as a ferret. It was all so familiar, yet so foreign to her now.

She shook herself out of the daze and shook away the unshed tears threatening to spill out of her as she turned to the striking, more refined lookalike of Sirius, "They're interesting," she paused, determined to defend her friend, "Definitely more interesting than bullying people," she looked at them both pointedly and continued, "Though History of Magic is quite the bore with Professor Binns."

She continued chatting with the group for the rest of the class. She now walked down the halls with the familiar feeling of being watched. She had been in this time period a week, and had done nothing. What would Harry and Ron say? The memories she had allowed to pass through her of her two best friends now drove her out of this slump of inactivity she had found herself in. She had to do something for her best friends, for the betterment of the future. Yes, she was not supposed to alter the timeline, but Hermione didn't see how the future could become any worse than it already was. She needed to stop the darkness at its root. She had to stop Voldemort by stopping Tom Riddle.

She half ran to the library and began pulling various texts from the shelves and began reading. Hours passed as the clock inched closer to curfew.

She jumped at the smooth voice that kissed her ears, "I've always loved the library." She looked up to see Tom Riddle running his long index finger along the spines of the books, "It's always so calming. A place to immerse yourself in the texts and forget about reality." He smirked at her clearly startled form, "Did I frighten you, Granger? My apologizes."

"No," she said shaking her head, "Just surprised."

"Of course," he said smirking and walking towards her until he was standing directly over her sitting form.

She stood, not enjoying having Riddle looking down at her. Yet, she found herself effectively trapped, as her chest brushed against his.

"Yes, well I must be going, actually," she started gently attempting to push past Riddle.

He stuck his long arms out and maneuvered them so she was trapped against the bookshelf, "You've been avoiding me, Granger."

"Of course not, I've just been busy," she mumbled, casting her eyes down.

"You know, you're a very bad liar," he said smirking, "It's quite obvious that you are and I must say Miss Granger, I'm hurt."

She scoffed, "Well maybe if you made your presence a little more bearable than I would be more inclined to be around you." She bit her tongue at her escaped words, preparing for his backlash.

To her surprise, he laughed than leaned closely in, "Did I do something to scare you off, Miss Granger?"

She knew what he was doing. He was trying to get her to reveal something of herself, of her past. She bit her lip and placed a slightly shaking hand on his hard chest, "Of course not, Riddle," she leaned forward so her lips were ghosting his ear and his eyebrows jumped at that.

She surprised him. Good. "You'll come to find that I don't scare easily."

She pushed him away and released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and started to walk away.

He glanced at the clock and quickly pulled her back so that he was leaning in close to her, their lips millimeters apart. He smirked at her wide eyes, and slightly quivering frame, "Are you sure about that?"

She regained her composure in an instant and stared defiantly back into his eyes, "Positive."

He flashed her a grin that would rival that of the Cheshire Cat and ran a single digit along her cheekbone, "Good, I do enjoy a challenge."

Hermione could feel the bile rise in her throat as he held her there, staring intensely at her, as if daring her to play the game that they had started.

Suddenly, he looked at the clock and pushed her away, smiling, "Miss Granger it seems you are out past curfew."

Her mouth hung ajar in confusion as he continued, "It seems that as Head Boy, I will have to give you a detention."

The pieces connected in her head, "What?! You sneaky little prat! You were planning this, weren't you? You have got to be joking-"

He cut her off, "Being out past curfew is a serious offense and is no joking matter. You're new so I will not take away House points, but you must suffer some consequences as any other student would."

Her knuckles were white and her face was red, she could feel her angry magic flowing around her as she struggled to regain her composure.

"You will meet me in the Great Hall at 10 pm on Wednesday night. Do try to be punctual, for once," he smirked at her obvious anger, "Now get back to your common room before I am inclined to actually take away House points."

She turned, fuming and started to walk away, "Oh and Granger?" She stopped and turned. He walked up to her slowly, and leaned in so his lips were against her temple and he ran his thumb along her jawline, "I do look forward to it."

He strode away confidently and Hermione had come to a conclusion: Inactivity was a complete and total bullshit approach.

**A/N By the way, all my chapters didn't save so updates may be less frequent! I'll definitely do one every week but yeah.**


End file.
